Philadelphia, PA June 9, 2018

We made our first journey out of Philadelphia during our 7 years of participating in Philly Beer Week. We headed north, walking from our AirBnB to the 30th Street Train station. There, we caught the Paola/Thorndale to Ardmore. We were headed to the cathedral of beer, Tired Hands Fermentatia. (Angels sing Aaahhh)

The 16-minute train ride to Ardmore was comfortable and pleasant. A 5-minute walk brought us to our destination, Tired Hands. (AAhhh)

There were 12 beers on tap. Four of us agreed to share samplers so we could drink every draft beer. Tired Hands (AAhhh) policy requires patrons order no more than 2 beers at a time and must finish their beers before ordering more. So, the 4 of us ordered 2 each until we had tasted them all.

All the ales were terrific. My personal favorite was SaisonHands, a funky, citrusy Saison that went well with the exceptional gazpacho. Others enjoyed the SEHT, a spelt Saison with notes of fruit and vanilla.

The food, beer and service (thanks, Meaghan) were all terrific. I especially enjoyed the notes for each beer on the menu. We are planning to come up with our own “notes” for our own homebrews.

After Tired Hands (AAhhh), we walked to Iron Hill. George Hummel of Home Sweet Homebrew suggested a visit while in Ardmore. (Thanks George!)

We sat at the high tables at Iron Hill and was served by the engaging Lee. We mentioned we had just stopped at Tired Hands

(AAhhh) and Lee made a face and said it’s a forbidden word in this house. Apparently Tired Hands (AAhhh) Founder Jean Broillet IV trained at Weyerbacher and Iron Hill.

The beers at Iron Hill were delicious. The Pig Iron Porter was a 2010 GABF gold medalist. It is a classic porter, dark and full of roasted malt flavor. Chocolate notes are well-balance by a slight bitterness.

Also, the Vienna Red Lager, also a GABF winner was quite exceptional.

If you are in the neighborhood of Ardmore and a craft beer lover, Tired Hands (AAhhh) and Iron Hill are highly recommended.

Cheers!

Warren